At Hogwarts, where the Yule Ball was held in 1994, only students of fourth year or above were permitted to attend, though younger students could also go if an older student invited them to accompany them. The ball begins at 8:00 p.m. and ends at midnight.[1]

Contents

Yule Ball in 1994

Preparation

1994 was the first time in a very long while that the Triwizard Tournament, and thus the Yule Ball, was held. The ball was open to students in the fourth year and above, meaning Harry, Ron, and Hermione were of the right ages to go. Younger students were also allowed to attend provided they were invited by an older student. Ginny Weasley was able to attend, as she was asked by a fourth year student, Neville Longbottom. All tournament champions were required to attend, and they must have a dance partner, as traditions are for them to open the dance. In addition, the partners of the champions played an integral part of the second task.

The announcement of the ball caused something of a panic in Harry and Ron, who were worried about their abilities to find dates. They then made an agreement that they would both have partners by the time the got to the Gryffindor Common Room, but they didn't. Harry asked Cho Chang when they ran into each other on the stairs of the Owlery, but she had already agreed to go with Cedric Diggory. Ron blurted out an invitation to Fleur Delacour, under the influence of her Veela charm, and then ran away. He then suggested that he attend with Hermione and Harry take Ginny, but Hermione had already — and secretly — accepted the invitation of Viktor Krum, and Ginny had agreed to go with Neville. Harry managed to get himself and Ron dates in Parvati and Padma Patil.

The Ball

Attendants dancing at the ball

Harry wore robes of bottle green that went well with his eyes and Ron wore a second-hand robe that was more "traditional". Hermione wore a beautiful blue gown and fancy hairstyle, and had a wonderful time dancing with Viktor. Harry and Ron did not even ask the twins to dance, instead spending most of their time sulking and watching Cho and Hermione dancing with their partners ,Cedric and Viktor, respectively.

Behind the scenes

Colloquially, the terms "Yule" and "Christmas" are often used interchangeably, but, more technically, Yule is a traditional winter festival that was celebrated in Northern Europe in pre-Christian times. It celebrated the winter solstice and involved great feasts.

None of the identified couples during the ball had a lasting relationship; most either separated later, or simply stayed friends.

The word Yule is pronounced in a similiar way as Jul in Danish, Swedish, and Norwegian which means 'Christmas'. It is also the root for the Finnish word Joulu, which also means Christmas.

There were two bands. The first was a traditional orchestra for ball room dancing; the second was a Wizard-themed rock band with a mosh pit.

All the champions' dates attend Hogwarts, even though only two champions attend Hogwarts.

In the film, it shows Professor Snape being present along with the other professors from Hogwarts, however in the novel, Professor Snape never attended the Yule Ball itself. However, during the seventh-book, Snape's memories show Dumbledore and Snape did have a conversation about the darkening Dark marks as the Yule ball was concluding.

Since Harry was a 4th year himself, it may be that the participants of the ball must be the same age as the champions or older.